Swimming Video courtesy of Lauren Van Laethem. (Thx to SwimMAC’s Micah Lawrence for tweeting out the video.)
Via Youtube:
Rope Climbing at Queens University
Music: “Awake” by Tycho (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes • eMusic)
Jeff Dugdale, Queens University Head Coach (bio courtesy of the Royals)
Dugdale Twitter handle: @medalistclub
As promised with the prior recruiting year the season promised to be filled with excitement and end of year movement towards the top. Throughout the season the Royals Men and Women ranked second in the Nation based on schedule strength and performance. Our mid season performances led to a National Record in the 200 Backstroke at the US Nationals by freshman Matt Josa and many school records along with national leading times. Both teams once again claimed mid-season academic All-American status continuing our streak.
Both the men’s and women’s programs had record setting performances and both finished second with the men leading up to the final event and the women moving from third to second, both programs setting a school record in points scored. Matt Josa was named swimmer of the meet and Coach Dugdale accepted the Bob Busby Award for Men’s Coach of the Year in the BMC. The men swept all relays and the women won two for the first time in Royals young history. When all said and done twenty two student / athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships in Geneva, OH at the Spire Institute.
The NCAA Championships proved to be exciting as the Royals finished third in the Women and fourth in the Men, the highest finishes to date and brought home the Universities first ever NCAA trophies. Kristin Diemer (JR) made the first statement by winning the Elite 89 for the highest GPA at the meet another first for the University. She also became our second CoSIDA All American and All District. Freshman Matt Josa made a statement by winning three individual events, was a member of two winning relays, and set four National Records on his way to earning NCAA DII Swimmer of the Year and NCAA (All Divisions) Breakout Swimmer of the Year. Meridith Boudreaux (SO) continued our distance tradition in winning the mile. Hannah Peiffer (FR) won the 100 Fly in record breaking time, Caroline Arakelian won the 200 Back in the NCAA record breaking fashion. In All the Royals own National Records in both the Men’s and Women’s 100 Butterfly & 200 Backstroke as well as the Men’s 400 Medley Relay. The men were under the National Record in the 200 Med. Relay and 400 Free Relay however finishing second. The 800 Free Relay finished first just missing the record. In total the Royals proudly displayed hardware representing nine National Champions, eight National records, 19 school records, 15 academic Scholar All Americans, two academic All American programs, and momentum going into next season.
The summer of 2012 was one for the books for Jeff Dugdale. Dugdale, who is also Director of High Performance for SwimMAC Team Elite, assisted in placing five athletes on the U.S. Olympic Team that returned to Charlotte with three gold medals and three silver. He also watched his mentor David Marsh once again assist in leading Team USA in its best ever games to date. Coach Dugdale was not going to sit back and be content knowing that he had recruited a very talented freshman class to join a program that was hungry to move into the top ten.
The Dugdale led program leveraged the momentum from the 2012 Olympic year to accomplish the following:
26 new school records between the men and women.
1st CoSIDA First Team All- American at large – Kyle House
1st CoSIDA First Team All- American District – Kyle House
1st Womens NCAA Champion – Caroline Arakelian (400 IM & 200 Back)
1st Mens NCAA Champion – Alex Menke (1650 yd Free)
59 All-American or Honorable All American Splashes
1st Blugrass Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Meet – Caroline Arakelian
Male BMC Swimmer of the Year – Alex Menke
Female BMC Swimmer of the Year – Caroline Arakelian
Women and Men’s Team Academic All-American both Fall and Spring semester
Two Top-Ten Finishes at the NCAA Championships (Men 9th & Women 10th )
In his second season at the helm of the Royals, Dugdale saw a great deal of success. There were 42 school record swims, six conference records, 54 all-conference swims, 15 All-American swims and 25 All-American Honorable Mention swims. In addition, John Long was named the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year. Long, along with Joe Skuba and Nic Eriksson, qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials. To cap off the season, Dugdale was voted by his peers to serve as President of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.
A native of Kenosha, Wis., Dugdale joined the Royals in the summer of 2010 from the SwimMAC Carolina, where he assists Head Coach David Marsh in all aspects of running Team Elite whose members include Olympian Cullen Jones and record holders Nick Brunelli, Nick Thoman and Josh Schneider.
Prior to joining SwimMAC Carolina, Dugdale was an assistant coach at Duke University, where he helped lead recruiting and leadership development. While at Duke, Dugdale had a hand in seeing both the men and women break all but three school records while moving up the ACC and NCAA ranks. In 2008, he spearheaded the merger of two club programs, Tar Heel Aquatic Team and Blue Devil Aquatic into Duke Aquatics, currently a Silver Medal program.
“Jeff is not only an exceptional on-deck coach, but a dynamic individual with a wealth of knowledge in how to develop and grow a program to an elite level,” said Dan Colella, head men’s and women’s coach at Duke. “He is a great recruiter of not only potential student athletes, but supporters for the program. He knows how to inspire and bring out the best in everyone, swimmers, alumni, and staff. We miss having him with us here at Duke, but Queens is fortunate to have one of the best as a member of their staff.”
David Marsh has worked with Dugdale for more than 20 years, dating back to the time when both were at Auburn University together.
“His enthusiasm and passion coupled with his desire to make a positive impact in the sport of swimming make him a tremendous leader,” Marsh said.
Dugdale was a member of the men’s swim team from three year letter-winner, 1989-1991, before getting his start in collegiate coaching at his alma mater in 1992. Like many of the Queens swimmers have done in this first year, Dugdale helped to transition the Tigers’ program into the one it is today with countless NCAA and SEC Championships.
As a junior, Dugdale was tapped as Marsh’s first recruiting coordinator and helped Marsh recruit the university’s first SEC and NCAA Championship Team. He assisted in coaching 218 All-American honorees, 16 Academic All-Americans, and one Olympian, Yoav Bruck of Israel.
Dugdale earned a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance at Auburn in 1995. Dugdale and his wife Amy (Buddin), have two children, Sydney and Colby.